Someone to listen: Advocates provide support, stability for children in foster care

STOCKTON - The 13-year-old girl sitting next to Nicole Wheeler had been removed from her parents' care in 2007, and since then has lived in six different foster homes.

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By Jennifer Torres

recordnet.com

By Jennifer Torres

Posted Dec. 23, 2011 at 12:01 AM

By Jennifer Torres

Posted Dec. 23, 2011 at 12:01 AM

To learn more

For information on volunteering with the Court Appointed Special Advocates program, or to make a donation, visit nochildabuse.org or call (209) 464-2564.

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To learn more

For information on volunteering with the Court Appointed Special Advocates program, or to make a donation, visit nochildabuse.org or call (209) 464-2564.

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STOCKTON - The 13-year-old girl sitting next to Nicole Wheeler had been removed from her parents' care in 2007, and since then has lived in six different foster homes.

She was struggling in school last year when a dependency court judge recommended that she be assigned a Court Appointed Special Advocate - someone to meet with her regularly, to talk to her teachers, to get to know her hopes and fears, to look out for her best interests.

Wheeler became that person.

"I was like, 'Oh. OK. That'd be cool,' " said the girl, whose name is being withheld because she is a ward of the court.

The Court Appointed Special Advocates program - run through the Child Abuse Prevention Council - assigns intensively trained and screened volunteers to meet regularly with children in foster care, keeping track of their progress and setbacks in ways that overtaxed social workers aren't always able. As officers of the court, advocates make recommendations on education, visitation, living arrangements and other matters concerning the children they work with.

More than that, they represent a source of stability - in some cases the only source - for vulnerable children whose lives are deeply fractured, said Lindy Turner-Hardin, director of the Child Abuse Prevention Council.

"The biggest thing is that commitment," Turner-Hardin said. "You have a child who has suffered a significant loss in their lives. They've been taken away from everything that's familiar."

The 13-year-old girl said she was nervous and a little skeptical at first when Wheeler was assigned to be her advocate.

"Is she going to leave?" she remembers thinking when Wheeler took her to Starbucks on the day they met. "A lot of people leave in my life. I expected that."

She said later that she wants to keep a bearded dragon as a pet. "They live a long time," she said. "He's going to be with me until I go to college. I just don't like being alone."

But Wheeler kept coming back. They still go to Starbucks - at least once a week. For Wheeler, the Court Appointed Special Advocates program represented the ideal blend of her personal and professional passions: She is trained as a psychologist; she loves to mentor children.

She was prepared for the work involved: she keeps in touch with the girl's school counselors, social workers, teachers and foster parents. She attends court hearings and writes reports. But she was surprised at the depth of the relationship that developed.

As of July, the most recent date for which data are available, there were about 1,100 San Joaquin County children in foster care, most of them school-aged. The Child Abuse Prevention Council has a roster of about 30 active advocates, who generally work with only one child at a time.

Whether a child is assigned an advocate is based on a judge's recommendation. There usually is a waiting list.

Sheri Tidwell, who helps oversee the program, said recruitment is ongoing. Finding new volunteers can be difficult because of the intensity of the work and the time commitment involved. After an interview and background-screening, new advocates complete 30 hours of training before being sworn in as court officers. They agree to meet with their assigned child at least once a week and to remain on the child's case until it closes, which can take 18 months or longer.

Nearly a year after their first meeting, the girl said she is happier and more confident with Wheeler in her life. She is doing better in school, in part, because Wheeler recommended that she enroll in a special math program. She gets into less trouble because, when she's angry with her parents, she calls Wheeler.

"What do I tell you? It's the same thing every time," Wheeler said. " 'These are just the consequences of the decisions you've made.' "

When she was struggling with physical education, Wheeler went to campus to cheer her on.

"We had to run these laps every day and I didn't like it," the girl said. "She came and ran with me."